The last place I went in Jaipur, before the lassi stand, was City Palace. It his a complex that was used for many purposes. It was built initially by a maharajah, and then it was used by the government of Rajasthan, getting many additions in between. When I was there, part of it was closed to the public, because it still housed the ailing maharani, Gayatri Devi. She was well known for her beauty, even into her old age.
Gayatri Devi died while I was still in India. It was a great loss for India and Rajasthan in particular.
Here is the gate to part of the complex.
This was a building used by the government for official meetings:
A hall of public audience:
A peacock gate, which I believe is called the Summer Gate:
Then someone asked me to take a photo with this man in traditional rajasthani dress:
I obliged, as people had been asking to take my photo all day. Then, of course, they asked me for money. I might have given them money on any other day, but after having been ripped off, I frustratedly said, you have to tell me this before.
Finally, here is a spittoon, though you commonly see red betelnut stains in corners.
This is a common sight, as many people chew and spit betelnut. I mistakenly thought all paan was betelnut or some substance like chewing tobacco, so was a bit grossed out by paan. Then I found out my aunt takes paan, and I was shocked, as she is a rather refined woman. I was still “scared” of it. Finally, my last night in India, I tried paan, and it’s pretty good — just a mouth freshener, like mukwas.
After City Palace, we stopped so I could get the best lassi in the world, and it was amazing, served in a “disposable” clay cup. Yum! Then we were off for our adventurous drive home.
The Connecticutian 